Patriarchal Blessings

Dear Bro Jo,

What's your take on when we should have our kids get their Patriarchal Blessings?

- Mom in Memphis



Dear Memphis,

This really is one of those personal decisions that I can't give a blanket answer for, but I do feel that many parents have their children wait too long.

First and foremost, let's get out in the open that this should be the child's decision, not necessarily Mom and Dad's; a Patriarchal Blessing is, after all, a very personal thing. That said, don't stand idly by and say nothing either. Your children will look to you for direction on this as in all things.

Our decision as parents was to encourage our children to actively seek out the Patriarch before their Freshman year of High School. Most of them chose to request the blessing some time between then and their 15th birthday.

See, Doctrinally your Patriarchal Blessing isn't going to be wildly different given your age, so it's not as if waiting until the child is 16, 17, 18, or even 25 is going to result in a different blessing than at 13 or 14; and I think most everyone realizes that. What I often hear is that the child's understanding of the blessing will be different, and that's certainly true, but then, don't we as adults also get something new out of our own blessings as we grow in maturity and understanding?

(I hope all of us are taking our Patriarchal Blessings out and reading them at least annually)

Now I've also said that certain things should wait for a certain age, for several reasons, not the least of which is to increase their value. My wife makes the point that High School is a very difficult time in one's life (for most of us), and that's a large part of why we encourage our children to seek a Patriarchal Blessing when we do: it's just another very valuable spiritual tool for a young person to have.

- Bro Jo